The First Sunday after Easter, Quasimodo Geniti, 2021.

The complete video service is linked here.

Quasimodogeniti, 

The First Sunday after Easter, 2021

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

https://video.ibm.com/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10AM Central Daylight Time

Bethany Lutheran Hymnal

The Hymn #207         Like the Golden Sun - Kingo

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

As newborn babes: desire the sincere milk of the Word.

Hear, O My people, and I will testify unto thee: 

O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto Me.

Psalm. Sing aloud unto God, our Strength: 

make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17

The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19

Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who have celebrated the solemnities of the Lord’s resurrection may, by the help of Thy grace, bring forth the fruits thereof in our life and conversation; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual       

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V. Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed for us. Hallelujah!

V. The angel of the Lord descended from heaven: 

and came and rolled back the stone from the door 

and sat upon it. Hallelujah!

The Gospel               

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22     
The Sermon Hymn #656        Behold a Host     

       

The Power of Faith

Communion Hymn # 200       I Know that My Redeemer      

The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
Hymn #198        He's Risen, He's Risen

Prayers and Announcements

• Treatment and recovery - Kermit Way, Christina Jackson. Pastor Jim Shrader.
• Pray for our country as the major trials continue. And help all those suffering from economic difficulties.
• The Bethany Lutheran Hymnal Blog was finishing up a year ago, with many enhancements and Norma Boeckle art since. Almost 16,000 views.

KJV 1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. 9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. 10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

KJV John 20:19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. 21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. 26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. 30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

First Sunday After Easter

Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank Thee, that of Thine ineffable grace, for the sake of Thy Son, Thou hast given us the holy gospel, and hast instituted the holy sacraments, that through the same we may have comfort and forgiveness of sin: We beseech Thee, grant us Thy Holy Spirit, that we may heartily believe Thy word; and through the holy sacraments day by day establish our faith, until we at last obtain salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

The Power of Faith

Background

This lesson shows the effect of the resurrection of Christ. The facts are laid before us. Jesus was tortured and killed but death had no power over Him. The disciples lost hope and only some women and John were there at His crucifixion. This feeling of death and doom hung over them until the women, then Peter and John saw the empty tomb. The Emmaus disciples walked with Him and finally realized He was the risen Christ, so they came to where the disciples were locked up, for fear of the Jews.

The divine nature of Jesus cannot be limited by His human nature. That is shown in several instances where people sought to surround Him and control Him, but could not. The sealed tomb could not hold Him. The angels open it to show He was already gone. That large, new spacious tomb remained open to show everyone that the One who created the mountains could not be held by mountains.

The door of the room was not just locked, but barred shut with a heavy piece of lumber resting in two cradles. In the movie "The Heiress," the lady of the house tells the maid, "Bar the door!" to keep out the one who betrayed her before. We lived in a house where the outside doors were chained and some were barred. The reason was obvious -  a tremendous fear of someone.

The tomb and the locked room reveal faith - and human reason. The Calvinists and others have angels opening the cave's stone door to let Jesus out, as if the Word incarnate needed help. Likewise, the Calvinists have Jesus entering the locked room through a secret passage (as Calvin claimed) or already there.

KJV John 20:19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

What seems so difficult for many should be energy for our faith, which subordinates our human reason to the power, majesty, and compassion of God. Leaving the sealed stone tomb and entering the room with the door barred - both tell us what the risen Lord could do.

Our fallen nature leads us to think God cannot do this or that. Nothing is more telling than the elegant but little-faith oil paintings of the angels releasing Jesus from the stone tomb. That is where it starts, limiting the power of God. The miraculous is removed because God's work clashes with human reason.

Just as there are many episodes showing the power of Jesus Christ over all of Creation, so there are examples of those who doubt and compromise the truth. They will glory in "the Easter faith of the disciples" to keep from confessing the truth of the resurrection. As long-timers know, I asked each one of the ELCA seminaries if anyone on the faculty taught the actual Virgin Birth of Christ and His actual physical resurrection from the dead - and prove it in writing. One of all the seminaries said that they had one who did and gave me the article, which said He probably did. 

Why are there not a dozen blogs asking with unconcealed rage - "Why are the LCMS-WELS-ELS leaders working with ELCA leaders through Thrivent? Are we as broke financially as ELCA is spiritually?" 

Jesus appeared to the disciples on the Day of Resurrection, and then a week later, to show Doubting Thomas what the disciple demanded - proof of His actually rising from the dead. So clergy call this Doubting Thomas Sunday or their vacation Sunday due to low attendance. What better way to celebrate the truth of the resurrection of Christ than this? And what if the church is less crowded? Jesus appeared before a few, and only a few hundred saw Him in His resurrection appearances. 

The faithful can say, "What are we among so few?" to remind us of the loaves and fish that Jesus multiplied through the divine power of the Word.

20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

The best commentary on the miracles can be found among children. "How could this be?" I have asked. They say, "Jesus is God. God can do anything." That teaches us again, "You must have the faith of a child to enter the Kingdom of God." 

God has imposed a terrible penalty for those who do not believe. They may have volumes of knowledge about the Scriptures, but if they do not believe in the Bible as the actual Word of God, they are blind to everything God does and especially blind to miracles. They will bury bulbs in the soil and expect flowers. They will plant ugly rose canes in the soil and water them lovingly and wait for roses. But they will not accept God's past and present miracles. 

Jesus displayed His hands and side to show the disciples the two Natures united in Him - divine in power, human in form - but One Person. No wonder they spread across the world to teach the truth. They reached the absolute depth of despair, fear, and doubt, but their training kept them together for those days of proof leading to His Ascension. 

21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

Believers receive the peace of God, peace through forgiveness. These are fruits of faith, fruits that the Spirit establishes in us through the Gospel. Jesus only did what His Father commanded. He was sent for this purpose, and fulfilled it in spite of His knowledge of the tortures and rejection. The disciples had no great strength on their own, but He infused Him with strength from trusting in His power and guidance.

22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

Confession and absolution are the divine gifts He gave to them and the Christian Church. What tears people apart? Lack of forgiveness - something so intangible but powerful. Marriages are torn apart from lack of forgiveness and restored by forgiveness through Christ. When I tell people long marriages come from faith in Christ, some are crestfallen. They want Dear Abby answers which is why we have a Dear Abby society waiting for the answer from some specialist. 

This is a great power - the Word of God. I have seen clergy destroy themselves because they thought they had Uncle Joe's Magic Wand for wealth, power, and pleasure. When I put up graphics of a few of them - some I met and others I heard speak - the total was numbing. The Internet had lots more.

 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. 

Doubting Thomas did not accept the witness of those people gathered, and he had plenty of chance to be convinced. In the middle of this wonderful gathering, he seems terribly out of place, but those who harbor false doctrine work that way. Many times they are humored and pampered when they needed to be rebuked. We are living in an age where very few people read the New Testament as passed down through the ages. A handful of wise guys took that away and substituted their ideas. Where were those who might have rebuked them? They took the easy way out and went along with the crowd.

26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

Thomas became a great apostle because Jesus rebuked him. I agree with Lenski  that God commanded Thomas to touch the wounds and reach into His side. It was not a suggestion but something Thomas had to do. That erased any chance he would dither about the actual resurrection again.

28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Of course, the answer to this comes from the new Doubting Thomas generation. They dismiss the Gospel of John and give it no authority rather than the greatest honors for showing us so much about Christ. "It is centuries after Christ" but we have the earliest fragment of the New Testament from John, about 100 AD. So how did he get that written several centuries before it was written, hmmm? The Fourth Gospel harmonizes beautifully with the other three, which would not happen with a late, phony, false Gospel. 

30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

This will upset the great and wise in Lutherdom, but this climactic statement is another clear statement that the Bible is written entirely to produce faith in Christ, and that by having faith we have forgiveness and eternal salvation.

Luther:

2. Faith, as we have often said, is of the nature, that every one appropriates to himself the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, of which we have already said enough; namely, that it is not sufficient simply to believe Christ rose from the dead, for this produces neither peace nor joy, neither power nor authority; but you must believe that he rose for your sake, for your benefit, and was not glorified for his own sake; but that he might help you and all who believe in him, and that through his resurrection sin, death and hell are vanquished and the victory given to you.

3. This is signified by Christ entering through closed doors, and standing in the midst of his disciples. For this standing denotes nothing else than that he is standing in our hearts; there he is in the midst of us, so that he is ours, as he stands there and they have him among them. And when he thus stands within our hearts, we at once hear his loving voice saying to the troubled consciences: Peace, there is no danger; your sins are forgiven and blotted out, and they shall harm you no more.

Luther's Sermon for the First Sunday after Easter - Jesus Appears to His Disciples, or the Nature, Fruit, and Power of Faith

SUNDAY AFTER EASTER.   


TEXT: John 20:19-31. When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had said this, he showed unto them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord. Jesus therefore said to them again, Peace be unto you: as the Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit: whose soever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto them; whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.

And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then said he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and see my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and put it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written, in this book: but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name.

Jesus Appears to His Disciples, or the Nature, Fruit, and Power of Faith


1. This Gospel praises the fruit of faith, and illustrates its nature and character. Among the fruits of faith are these two: peace and joy, as St. Paul writes to the Galatians, where he mentions in order all kinds of fruit saying: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control.” Galatians 5:22. Thus these two fruits are also mentioned in our text. In the first place, Christ stands there among the disciples, who sit in fear and terror, and whose hearts are greatly troubled every hour expecting death; to them he comes and comforts them, saying: “Peace be unto you.” This is one fruit. In the second place there follows from this sweet word the other fruit, that they were glad when they saw the Lord. Then he further bestows upon faith power and authority over all things in heaven and on earth, and truly extols it in that he says: “As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” And again: “Receive ye the Holy Spirit: whose soever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto them; whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” Let us now consider each thought in order.

2. Faith, as we have often said, is of the nature, that every one appropriates to himself the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, of which we have already said enough; namely, that it is not sufficient simply to believe Christ rose from the dead, for this produces neither peace nor joy, neither power nor authority; but you must believe that he rose for your sake, for your benefit, and was not glorified for his own sake; but that he might help you and all who believe in him, and that through his resurrection sin, death and hell are vanquished and the victory given to you.

3. This is signified by Christ entering through closed doors, and standing in the midst of his disciples. For this standing denotes nothing else than that he is standing in our hearts; there he is in the midst of us, so that he is ours, as he stands there and they have him among them. And when he thus stands within our hearts, we at once hear his loving voice saying to the troubled consciences: Peace, there is no danger; your sins are forgiven and blotted out, and they shall harm you no more.

4. And this entrance the Lord made here through barred doors, going through wood and stone, and still leaving everything whole, breaking nothing, yet getting in among his disciples. This illustrates how the Lord comes into our hearts and stands in us, namely, through the office of the ministry. Therefore, since God has commanded men to preach his Word, one should in no wise despise a mortal man into whose mouth he has put his Word; lest we get the idea that every one must expect a special message from heaven, and that God should speak to him by the word of his mouth. For if he imparts faith to any one, he does it by means of the preaching of man and the external word of man.

This is going through closed doors, when he comes into the heart through the Word, not breaking nor displacing anything. For when the Word of God comes, it neither injures the conscience, nor deranges the understanding of the heart and the external senses; as the false teachers do who break all the doors and windows, breaking through like thieves, leaving nothing whole and undamaged, and perverting, falsifying and injuring all life, conscience, reason, and the senses. Christ does not do thus.

Such now is the power of the Word of God. Thus we have two parts, preaching and believing. His coming to us is preaching; his standing in our hearts is faith. For it is not sufficient that he stands before our eyes and ears; he must stand in the midst of us in our hearts, and offer and impart to us peace.

5. For the fruit of faith is peace; not only that which one has outwardly, but that of which Paul speaks to the Philippians ( Philippians 4:7) saying it is a peace that passeth all reason, sense and understanding. And where this peace is, one shall not and cannot judge according to reason. This we shall see still farther in our Gospel lesson.

6. First, the disciples sit there behind barred doors in great fear of the Jews, afraid to venture outside, with death staring them in the face. Outwardly they indeed have peace, no one is doing them any harm; but inwardly their hearts are troubled, and they have neither peace nor rest. Amid their fear and anguish the Lord comes, quiets their hearts and makes them glad, so that their fear is removed, not by removing the danger, but in that their hearts were no more afraid. For thereby the malice of the Jews is not taken away, nor changed; they rave and rage as before, and outwardly everything remains the same. But they are changed inwardly, receiving such boldness and joy as to declare: “We have seen the Lord.” Thus he quiets their hearts, so that they become cheerful and fearless, not caring how the Jews rage.

7. This is the true peace that satisfies and quiets the heart; not in times when no adversity is at hand, but in the midst of adversity, when outwardly there is nothing but strife before the eyes. And this is the difference between worldly and spiritual peace. Worldly peace consists in removing the outward evil that disturbs the peace; as when the enemies besiege a city there is no peace; but when they depart peace returns. Such is the case with poverty and sickness. While they afflict you, you are not contented; but when they are removed and you are rid of the distress, there is peace and rest again from without. But he who experiences this is not changed, being just as fainthearted whether the evil be present or not; only he feels it and is frightened when it is present.

8. Christian or spiritual peace, however, just turns the thing about, so that outwardly the evil remains, as enemies, sickness, poverty, sin, death and the devil. These are there and never desist, encompassing us on every side; nevertheless, within there is peace, strength and comfort in the heart, so that the heart cares for no evil, yea, is really bolder and more joyful in its presence than in its absence. Therefore it is peace which passeth and transcendeth all understanding and all the senses. For reason can not grasp any peace except worldly or external peace, for it can not reconcile itself to it nor understand how that is peace if evil is present, and it knows not how to satisfy and comfort a person; hence it thinks if the evil depart, peace departs also. When however the Spirit comes, he lets outward adversity remain, but strengthens the person, making the timid fearless, the trembling bold, changing the troubled into a quite, peaceful conscience, and such an one is bold, fearless and joyful in things by which all the world otherwise is terrified.

9. Whence does he receive this? From his faith in Christ. For if I truly believe in the Lord from the real depth of my heart, that my heart can truly say: My Lord Christ has by his resurrection conquered my need, my sin, death and all evil, and will be thus with and in me, so that body and soul shall want nothing, that I shall have all I need, and no evil shall harm me: if I believe this, it is impossible for me to be faint-hearted and timid no matter how much sin and death oppress me. For faith is ever present and says:

Does sin burden you, does death terrify you, look to Christ who died for your sake and rose again, and conquered every evil; what can harm you?

Why will you then fear? So also in case other misfortunes burden you, as sickness or poverty, turn your eyes from it, lock the door to reason and cast yourself upon Christ and cleave to him, so shall you be strengthened and comforted. If you look to Christ and believe on him, no evil that may befall you is so great that it can harm you and cause you to despair.

Therefore it is impossible for this fruit to remain outside, where faith is, so that peace does not follow.

10. From peace the other fruit now follows, as is taught in this Gospel.

When Christ came to the disciples and said: “Peace be unto you!” and showed them his hands and feet; then they were glad that they saw the Lord. Yes, to be sure they had to be glad, for that they saw Christ was the greatest joy the heart of man can experience. Hitherto we have been permitted to see our hands, that is, we have been taught to trust in our works; this brought no gladness. But to see Christ makes us glad. And this takes, place by faith; for thus St. Paul in Romans 5:1-2 says: “Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; through whom also we have had our access by faith into this grace wherein we stand; and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

11. Thus we have the fruit whereby we know who are true Christians. For he who has no peace in that in which the world finds nothing but unrest, and is joyful in that which in the world is nothing but gloom and sorrow, is not yet a Christian, and does not yet believe. This truth is being also sung at this season everywhere in the hymn on the Lord’s resurrection; but hardly anybody understands it. He who composed it surely understood it aright. He does not stop at the Lord is risen, when he says: “Christ is risen from his Passion ;” as though this were sufficient, but brings it home to us and adds: Let us all rejoice in this. But how can we rejoice in it, if we have nothing of it and it is not ours? Therefore, if I am to rejoice in it, it must be mine, that I may claim it as my own property, that it may profit me. And finally he closes: Christ will be our consolation, that we can and shall have no other consolation but Christ. He wants to be it himself and he alone, that we should cling to him in every time of need; for he has conquered all for our benefit, and by his resurrection he comforts all troubled consciences and sad hearts. This the Gospel teaches concerning faith and its fruits.

12. Now follows the office of the ministry. The power of faith now develops love. For it does not yet suffice that I have the Lord so that he is mine, and that I find in him all comfort, peace and joy; but I must henceforth also do as he has done: for it follows thus in the text: “As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”

13. The first and highest work of love a Christian ought to do when he has become a believer, is to bring others also to believe in the way he himself came to believe. And here you notice Christ begins and institutes the office of the ministry of the external Word in every Christian; for he himself came with this office and the external Word. Let us lay hold of this, for we must admit it was spoken to us. In this way the Lord desires to say: You have now received enough from me, peace and joy, and all you should have; for your person you need nothing more. Therefore labor now and follow my example, as I have done, so do ye. My Father sent me into the world only for your sake, that I might serve you, not for my own benefit. I have finished the work, have died for you, and given you all that I am and have; remember and do ye also likewise, that henceforth ye may only serve and help everybody, otherwise ye would have nothing to do on earth. For by faith ye have enough of everything. Hence I send you into the world as my Father hath sent me; namely, that every Christian should instruct and teach his neighbor, that he may also come to Christ. By this, no power is delegated exclusively to popes and bishops, but all Christians are commanded to profess their faith publicly and also to lead others to believe.

14. Secondly, if you have exercised yourself in this highest work and taught others the right way of truth, then make up your mind to keep on and serve everybody. Then the example of your life and good works follows; not that you can thereby merit and acquire anything, seeing you have beforehand everything that is necessary to salvation. Furthermore Christ now gives a command, he breathes upon the disciples and says: “Receive ye the Holy Spirit: whose soever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto them; whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.”

15. This is a great and mighty power which no one can sufficiently extol, given to mortal men of flesh and blood over sin, death and hell, and over all things. The pope too boasts in the canon law that Christ has given to him power over all earthly things; which would indeed be correct if the people rightly understood it. For they apply it to the civil government; this is not Christ’s thought; but he gives spiritual power and rule, and wishes to say this much: When ye speak a word concerning a sinner, it shall be spoken in heaven, and shall avail so much as if God himself spake it in heaven; for he is in your mouth, therefore it has the same force as if he himself spoke it.

Now it is always true, if Christ speaks a word, since he is Lord over sin and hell, and says to you: Thy sins are forgiven; then they must be forgiven and nothing can prevent it. Again, if he says: Thy sins shall not be forgiven thee; then they remain unforgiven, so that neither you, nor an angel, nor a saint, nor any creature, can forgive your sin, even if you martyred yourself to death.

16. This same power belongs to every Christian, since Christ has made us all partakers of his power and dominion; and here his is not a civil but a spiritual rule, and his Christians also rule spiritually. For he does not say:

This city, this country, this bishopric or kingdom you shall rule, as the pope does; but he says: Ye shall have power to forgive and to retain sins. Hence this power pertains to the conscience, so that by virtue of God’s Word I can pass judgment as to what the conscience can cleave to, so that against and above that no creature can do anything, neither sin, nor the world nor Satan. This is true power. But thereby no power is given me to rule over temporal matters, over a country and people, externally after the manner of civil governments, but a much higher and nobler power, which can in no sense be compared with it.

17. Therefore we shall thank God, that we now know the great power and glory given us through Christ in his plain Word, as St. Paul also highly praises and extols it to the Ephesians, saying: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3. And again: “God made us alive together with Christ, and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in heavenly places, in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus: for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, that no man should glory. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:5-10.

18. Observe, what great transcendent comfort we have in that God awakens in us also the same power he exercises in Christ, and bestows upon us equal authority. As he made him sit in heavenly places, above all power and might, and everything that can be named; so has he invested us also with the same power, that those who believe have all power over heaven and earth. This we have in the words he left behind him; and they are so powerful, that when they are spoken by us, they avail as much as if he himself were on earth and spake them in the majesty and glory in which he now exists. And this is the power we have from his resurrection and ascension; there he gives us power to. kill and to make alive, to consign to the devil and to rescue from him.

19. But in this matter one must proceed carefully, and not do like the popes. For they have reached the point to have the power, that however and whatever they say, so it must be, because they say it. Nay, this power you have not, but the divine Majesty alone has. it. They say thus: If the pope speaks a word and says: Thy sins are forgiven thee, they are blotted out, even though you neither repent nor believe. They mean by this, that they have the power to bestow and withhold heaven, to open or shut it, to locate one in heaven or cast into hell; far from it that it should be so. For from this it would then follow that our salvation depended on the works, authority and power of man. Therefore, since this is in conflict with all the Scriptures it can not be true that when you open or shut, it must be open or shut.

20. Therefore we must rightly understand Christ when he says: “Whose soever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto them; whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained ;” that this does not establish the power of him who speaks but of those who believe. Now the power of him who speaks and of him who believes are as far apart as heaven and earth.

God has given us the Word and the authority to speak; but it does not therefore follow from this that it must so be done, as Christ also preached and taught the Word, and yet not all who heard it believed, and it was not everywhere done as he spake the Word, although it was God’s Word.

Therefore Christ’s meaning is: Ye shall have the power to speak the Word, and to preach the Gospel, saying, Whosoever believeth, has the remission of his sins; but whosoever believeth not, has no remission of sin. But ye have not the power to create faith. For there is a great difference between planting and giving the growth; as Paul says to the Corinthians: “I planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” 1 Corinthians 3:6. Hence we have no authority to rule as lords; but to be servants and ministers who shall preach the Word, by means of which we incite people to believe.

Therefore, if you believe the Word, you gain this power; but if you believe not, then what I speak or preach will avail nothing even though it be God’s Word; and if you believe not these words you are not treating me but God himself with dishonor and contempt.

21. Therefore, unbelief is nothing but blasphemy, which makes God a liar.

For if I say, your sins are forgiven you in God’s name, and you believe it not, it is the same as if you said: who knows whether it be true, and whether he be in earnest? by this you charge God and his Word with lying.

Therefore you better be far from the Word, if you believe it not. For when a man preaches his Word, God would have it as highly esteemed as if he himself had preached it. This then is the power given by God. which every Christian has, and of which we have already spoken much and often; hence this is enough for the present.

Let Us Pause To Honor the WELS Framework of Fellowship

WELS pontificates - "They are outside the framework of church fellowship." But of course, WELS ardently worships at the same throne.

I was talking to a member about all the honored greats of Church Growth who imploded, plus a few other scoundrels. WELS and Missouri share them - but the Little Sect on the Prairie is pure (yuk, yuk). Just ask the ELS.

Mark and Avoid Jeske is a regular Robert Schulller, liberal Calvinist, tireless self-promoter, anxious to include every confession of faith, except Justification by Faith.
He has his hands in Thrivent and the Seibert Foundation, The Core, Church and Church (now in stealth mode), and various other entities.

Starting at the top left - Craig Groeschel was being copied verbatim at the Glende-Ski Popcorn Cathedral of Love. The lawyer who proved this and objected to it was excommunicated. The DP supported Glende and Ski.

Top middle - Mark Driscoll - who said bodies would be piled up when he was done. Ski, Glende, and Bishop Katie went to absorb the magic.

Next row down, left - Donald McGavran, Disciples of Christ, founder of Church Growth, promoter of Planned Parenthood in writing.

Aging hippy with the moustache - Leonard Sweet - adored in WELS and the LCMS St. Louis Apostasiorium. Maybe he was really profound, but he sounded like one of those weed addicts who never stop talking.

The cheerful chubby is Ed Stetzer, who is currently very big at Wheaton College and Trinity Divinity in Deerfield. The Deerfield branch of Pietism was used so much by WELS staff that their Love Shack was mentioned twice in one annual report. Trinity Divinity has been disgraced by the behavior of Bill Hybels (below) and Ravi Zacharias. WELS gave pastors money to learn from His Holiness Hybels (but offered me a scholarship there).

The big white-haired portrait is C. Peter Wagner, aka Pete Wagner, also popular in WELS, though his Pentecostal ravings should have frightened most people away. He fell for the creepy guy who was "raising people from the dead" in Florida. He was the hot-shot promoter for McGavran, or as WELS might say, the Larry Olson for the Founder of Church Growth.

At the bottom is Andy Stanley, gay activist Babtist, son of the equally appalling Charles Stanley. Glende, Ski, Bishop Katie (and others) attended at least one Andie Stanley money-maker. Ski blogged about it - lavishing praise on Andy Stanley and worshiping with him. The blog was out in public for a long time. I copied parts of it, because I knew they would destroy the evidence and deny it. 

WELS pastors and staff, plus LCMS dolts of the same persuasion, can always be found with Enthusiasts. They are now so deluded that they continue on the same path, looking for more reasons their faithless Law speeches are driving people away or into their lupine jaws.

Let us not forget Archbishop Weakland, who was invited - with his priests - to offer public lectures at Wisconsin Lutheran College (WELS), a fact later denied by the college and WELS. The lectures were publicized (also denied by WELS). It was not a private luncheon, as WELS declared, which is even more bizarre than lectures. Weakland was also under fire for his relationship with a man and his misuse of church funds, but that was no problem for WELS.

Archbishop Rembert Weakland

One WELS Church Growth expert sold Cho books at a WELS gathering, and Cho was promoted at the Kelm conference I was forced to attend.

I do not remember if Hill's name was mentioned in awe - as so many phonies are in WELS - but he was a major influence for Robert Schuller, who received an award for supporting Hill's dogma. Pete Wagner talked crazy like this too. Luther warned that when the Means of Grace are set aside, many foul errors will rush in. 

 WELS has a special hatred for the Book of Concord. They are Quia Marias, pretending to love a confession they despise and corrupt. The ELS is the same but quieter.

Cross-dressing Andy Mueller, son of Wayne, is a big deal at Church and Change Your Gender, the WELS Church Growth cult that went invisible.

The Tallest Garden Plants - Waiting Their Turn

 

Joe Pye is the Conrad Hilton Hotel for birds, bees, and hummingbirds.

Our daffodils are mostly gone. I spotted a double flower blooming on its own. The rest of the blooms were trying to form seeds, so I clipped the withered blooms to get more energy to the bulbs. The greens will finish rejuvenating the plants by converting solar energy into food for the bulbs, which multiply over time. People forget to dig them up and separate the doubled bulbs and gradually have fewer blooms because of the crowding.

The cheerful bulbs rise up in the early spring gloom, when the weather is closer to winter than spring. Hungry squirrels dismiss them as food, so I stick with daffodils. 

If people thought about the miraculous timing of Creation, going on before our eyes, they would be more patient about timing in their own lives. The plants, birds, garden creatures work together to punch the clock and later to earn their rest. Timing is essential for each player to accomplish the most and help the others do their work.

Any given plant will improve the soil by the growth of roots and root hairs, the increase of living cells, and the nutrition flowing into the ground from decay. I am simplifying these details. About 75% of soil fertility comes from plants. Deeply rooted plants open up the soil and let more rain penetrate the depths, which increases root production and more fertility. Those who want more humus in their sandy soil are delighted, and so are those who labor to shovel and move heavy clay.

Let us repeat the safe bucket challenge. 

1) Pour a bucket of water on a new plant from the hardware store. The loose soil will depart and the plant will wash out of the hole created. The roots will be exposed because they did not have time to establish a network of anchors fort fungi food and water exchangers.

2) Pour a bucket of water at the base of an established bush, right on the stem. It has built up a root system, tough and extensive, with miles of roots, root branches, and root hairs holding it in place. (Bored reader - "We know that.") But watch the water poured on the base. Gallons will go down into the soil, washing away very little soil, showing no immediate sign of the gallons many feet below - reaching out to extremes we can hardly imagine or measure.

Plants with deep roots will not let rainwater wash away the top soil or stand in stagnant ponds. The rainwater goes deep, held by the plant and the creatures of the soil. Everything is mostly water, so the plants hold water and so do the earthworms, grubs, moles, slugs, and springtails. Pouring a bucket on the base of a Butterfly Bush looks and sounds like pouring it down the street drain. 

The Military Gardening Group, which includes Mrs. Ichabod, gathers on the porch for afternoon pour-over coffee. Sassy usually sits in the garden ordering treats from her subordinate, Ranger Bob.

The Clethra looks dead, but it is a late bloomer. The nine-foot tall Joe Pye Weeds are just starting to emerge from the soil. Hostas and Bee Balm are filling their spaces again. These five:

1. Clethra
2. Joe Pye
3. Bee Balm
4. Hosta
5. Chaste Tree

will be irresistible lures for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. 

 Some enjoy the colors of the hosta leaves, but hummingbirds love the spikes of flowers.